Under One Person, your rebellious life has reached the heavens?

"So, your sect leader and I actually only hope that he can reach the second level of perfection, which would be quite good."

"As for the third level? It depends half on effort and half on fate. As elders, we naturally hope that the younger generation can surpass us. However, Chengzhen's ability to reach the end of the second level is already quite outstanding."

Seeing the look of admiration and approval on his uncle's face, Zhuge Yu suddenly understood and couldn't help but feel envious:

"Senior brother is really amazing. I wonder if I'll ever have that opportunity in the future."

"Last time I went in with my senior brother, he was the one who watched me cultivate."

“I asked him where he was practicing. My senior brother said he had almost completed the five treasure lands, but there was only the last hurdle left, which he couldn’t overcome for the time being.”

"It's been three months now, shouldn't you be able to succeed by now, Senior Brother?"

"Hmm...we'll know in a few more days."

Noticing that the torrential rain was gradually weakening, he seemed to ponder:

"Besides, there's no need to rush. With Chengzhen's cultivation progress, reaching the third level is a certainty; it's just a matter of time."

"That's true." Zhuge Yu sincerely hoped that his senior brother would succeed.

He and the old man stayed there for several days. One evening, they saw a familiar figure emerge from the cave.

The man's frosty hair fluttered in the wind, his body moved like a gentle breeze, and his aura underwent a dramatic transformation, making him completely different from his previous senior brother.

"It's done? Martial Uncle?!"

Zhuge Yu exclaimed excitedly. He vaguely sensed that his senior brother's charm was even comparable to that of his master back then. However, his cultivation level was too low to be sure of the truth, so he asked Si Chong for confirmation.

"Oh? Let me take a look."

As Chong looked at the white-clad youth descending the mountain steps, the composed and elegant demeanor he exuded made him smile knowingly.

"Whether I made it or not, I don't know."

“But your senior brother’s cultivation level should surpass mine; he has at least reached the end of the second level.”

About fifteen minutes later, Chengzhen returned to the sect and had dinner with his fellow disciples and elders.

Driven by the curiosity of his disciples, he personally revealed the answer. Just as Si Chong had predicted, he had reached the end of the second level, becoming the second most powerful cultivator in the sect after Jiang Mo. He was even only a hair's breadth away from entering the third level.

However, he encountered a bottleneck and, after much effort without success, he ended his long period of seclusion, returned to his sect, and relaxed his mind and body.

His achievements have inspired and delighted the entire sect.

After that, he accompanied and guided his disciples in their cultivation, like a teacher.

Spring goes and summer arrives.

On a bright and sunny afternoon, with cicadas chirping, Lu Jin hurried to the fourth floor of the Sutra Repository, carrying two letters, and handed them to Si Chong and Cheng Zhen, who were playing chess.

"Uncle-Master, Senior Brother, there are two letters. One is from Wanxiang Hall, and the other is unsigned and just arrived recently."

"Oh?"

"Wanxiang Hall, huh...."

"Jin'er, sit down quickly."

"Snapped."

Chengzhen placed a chess piece, and he and his uncle each took a letter, opened it, and read it.

Besides basic greetings, what the Master of Wanxiang Hall wrote mainly explained that the 'Wanxiang Pool' would become clear on the 13th day of the seventh lunar month, at which time the agreement between the two sects would be fulfilled and the location of Wugensheng would be determined.

"Uncle-Master, what's that over there?"

Chengzhen slowly put down the letter. He still remembered Jiang Mo's arrangement. There were still several months until the 23rd of the seventh lunar month, but he stopped at the peak of the second level of reversal and thought that it would be enough to deal with the demon.

"Some information regarding the two acting leaders of the Quanxing Sect..."

He seemed to furrow his brow slightly and began to speak slowly and deliberately:

"Wugensheng appeared in Shaanxi Province. Some people saw him fight with the current members of the Quanxing Sect, then escaped and declared that he was leaving the sect..."

"Gu Qi'an is a disciple of Gu Hengyi, a senior monk of the Quanxing sect."

"After his master was killed by his junior brother, this guy disappeared for a while. Now he has reappeared in the martial world, taking control of Quanxing and developing it in secret."

"According to the letter, he had many dealings with the Japanese devils, and there may be some unknown conspiracy behind it. His whereabouts are currently unknown."

Upon hearing this, Chengzhen gently pushed the letter she was reading towards the tea table on the other side, lost in thought:

"The Quanxing sect is truly a wild and untamed weed. Two years ago, our sect leader and senior uncle wiped them out completely, destroying all their strongholds. But unexpectedly, in just one year, they have risen from the ashes."

"As for their new sect leader, at this juncture, he has actually made contact with the Japanese devils... He's probably not a easy character to deal with."

Si Chong sipped his tea while glancing at the contents of the letter, muttering, "In this chaotic world, all sorts of monsters and demons have come out."

"If your senior uncle hasn't come out of seclusion by the time agreed upon with Wanxiang Hall, then I, this old man, will accompany you."

"Once we have wiped out Wugensheng, if there is any news of any remaining members of the Quanxing sect, we will simply eliminate them all."

Chengzhen had no objection to the old man's arrangement and replied with a light laugh, "Okay, then I'll do as you say."

........

Back mountain.

Beside the pool, a figure sat motionless, enduring both frost and scorching heat. The crimson-gold vertical line between his brows, though devoid of radiance, was perfectly natural, symbolizing the highest achievement of the Ancient Ferry Spirit-Breaking Incantation.

In addition, the marks of the Mountain-Shaking Gu and the Heavenly Balance Gu were branded on the heart and left wrist respectively, coexisting with this upright body as if they were living things, and were completely refined.

Some of the vitality belonging to our ancestors has not yet been fully digested.

However, on the upper right side of Jiang Mo's abdomen, a deep hole was missing, and the flesh inside was frantically devouring the astonishing black substance. The two were constantly merging and reconstructing, attempting to break through some kind of transformation.

In this secret forest, the passage of time loses its meaning.

As dawn and dusk alternated, and the sun and moon revolved, Jiang Mo remained unmoved. No one knew how far he had walked, nor whether he was alive or dead.

The ball of light that hovered in front of him was only the size of a fist, slowly dissipating and turning into specks of white light that seeped into his limbs and bones.

The wound on his abdomen was gradually healing, and the flesh and black substance seemed to have reached a special balance.

Jiang Mo remained fully alert at all times, as if he were climbing a cliff, daring not to relax.

The closer we get to the final stage, the more cautious we must be.

He knew... he wouldn't be far from leaving the pass.

........

The tenth day of the fourth intercalary month in the lunar calendar.

Inside the Tang Family Tomb, in front of the rock wall painting engraved with the route of Dan Shi Xing Qi, Yang Lie, dressed in white, sat quietly with his eyes closed.

Not far away, two elders, Grandpa Hong and Tang Bingwen, stood watching with solemn expressions, awaiting a result.

Every second of waiting felt so long. Under their watchful eyes, Yang Lie showed no chaotic breathing, no cold sweat, and no outburst of wailing. He seemed to be walking on a tightrope, yet he handled everything with composure.

He didn't know how much time had passed until Yang Lie calmly opened his eyes. His right hand was holding several invisible, colorless, and odorless pills that were still slightly twisting and rippled.

Seeing this, Tang Bingwen and Master Hong's worries dissipated, replaced by a sense of relief and joy.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Shaanxi Province, in a desolate valley, the night was silent. Two caves, each with a dim campfire burning, were separated by a dozen feet, from which a weary figure slowly emerged.

In a short while, Xu Xin and Dong Chang met up. The two gathered dry wood branches, lit a campfire, and sat on the ground with sorrowful expressions.

"You didn't succeed either, Old Dong?"

"No, I've imagined it dozens of times in my mind. The chances of making it through are too low. I don't dare to take the risk. The closer I get to the end, the more anxious and impatient I become. The chances are slim."

Dong Chang fiddled with the flames, his mind heavy with worries.

He is still racking his brains trying to figure out where things went wrong.

At crucial moments, he would inexplicably experience heart palpitations, which had almost become a pathological habit. If he was slightly affected, his planned cultivation steps would suffer fatal errors.

He remembered what his master had said: when cultivating the Dan Shi technique, one must not lose focus and must complete it in one go.

In this confused state, attempting to cultivate the Pill Devouring Technique would only lead to his death, which is why he hesitated to take the final step.

"And you, Xiao Xu?"

Xu Xin stretched and said leisurely:

"I feel it's coming soon, I'm about 30% sure."

"But there's no rush. I've gained a lot from this seclusion. I'll go back and ask my master for some pointers. Maybe I can improve my chances by a few more percent. Then, breaking through the barrier will be a breeze."

"Is that so? That's good."

Dong Chang had another heavy topic on his mind, but he didn't know how to bring it up.

"Old Dong, how about... we go back inside?"

Seeing his senior brother's dejected mood, Xu Xin comforted him:

"Should we talk to our master again? We didn't succeed, but he might not blame us. After all, we're still alive, which is a blessing."

“Go back now… Before I left, my master specifically instructed me to settle Wugensheng’s case.”

Dong Chang had a headache. Even so, he simply couldn't bring himself to kill that devil.

Both of their meetings were life-or-death encounters. Huang Fang, the Golden Hook, did not perish with them that time, and even helped his fellow disciples. He cannot be considered evil.

Then, in the later Battle of Mianshan, the other side also went to fight the Japanese... at least they were doing something humane.

Ironically, this man, who was both righteous and wicked, became the leader of Quanxing.

The employer had a deep grudge against Quanxing. In his anger, he named and ordered the killing of Quanxing's leader, Wugensheng, and rebuked him for his inability to control the evil deeds of his disciples.

Xu Xin noticed his predicament, and sighed, resting her chin on her hand:

"But you haven't mastered the Pill Devouring Technique, and if you go to the appointment alone, you have absolutely no chance of winning, not to mention that bastard might have helpers..."

"Then do I have a reason not to go?" Dong Chang retorted. "How will Master explain this to the employer?"

He really hoped he could make a decision as soon as possible; otherwise, he wouldn't know what to do if they actually met.

The thought that the two of them had just been eating and laughing together at the same table, and now that they were facing a life-or-death situation, made him feel powerless and caught in a dilemma.

The campfire roared, illuminating their faces. Xu Xin narrowed his eyes and made a decision:

"Alright... Let's go together, just in case something happens to you and I can't help you, I might regret it for the rest of my life."

"There were no accidents. The worst-case scenario is that we all perish together."

Dong Chang tacitly agreed to his junior brother's request. His condition was indeed not right, and the assassination would be difficult to succeed. Having more helpers would be good.

"You little punk, you better watch your step and run if you need to, understand?"

Xu Xin naturally ignored his senior's advice.

The two of them had gone on missions together countless times, and he was already tired of hearing that old-fashioned nagging.

"it is good."

........

The next day.

The two left the valley where they were in seclusion and headed northwest at the agreed time and place.

For five consecutive days, we trekked through mountains and rivers to reach the forests near the Qinling Mountains, where we stopped in front of an abandoned wooden house.

The midday sun hung high in the sky, scorching hot. Xu Xin was irritated by the heat. He went into the wooden house and looked around. It was an empty ruin, not even a ghost in sight.

Dong Chang frowned, wondering what trick that devil was up to this time.

"Could it be that bastard stood me up?"

"The date and place match up, so we must have arrived too early."

The two stood outside the wooden house, wondering if there was any hidden secret, but were quickly disappointed.

Several hours have passed, and dusk is approaching.

Xu Xin was unwilling to wait any longer. After a long day, his mouth was dry, and his anger was building up. He complained:

"That devil dared to stand me up. If I run into him again, I'll definitely kill him."

Seeing that it was getting late, Dong Chang got up and prepared to leave.

Just then, a sudden sound came from the woods to the side, and a burly figure slowly walked out.

"You two have arrived? It's been a long time."